Photos

A Helluva Town

You know those times when you want to reach out, connect, but you don’t feel like talking?

Yeah.  So I’m doing a NY themed photo post today.  Yes, that’s right, more crappy photos for your viewing pleasure.  Try to contain your excitement.

 

One of my favorite buildings in NY.
Always construction
Entrance to the Holland Tunnel, NJ side
One of the many always there, no matter the weather, asking for money at the traffic jam. It was 98 degrees when I took this, had to be well over 100 standing in the midst of so many running cars on asphalt.
Subway tile art
One of the fanciest gourmet stores in the city
And right outside that fancy store
Got mail?
Wish more grates were like this one, openings too narrow to trap and eat a stiletto heel.
No. This way.
Because I liked it.
The metal coverings to store basements and access to underground workings of the city are an art unto themselves.
Knock knock.
Need a job?
Sunset in the summer
Love these green terraces.
Hungry?
What could be more NY?

 

And the Shnozberries Taste Like Shnozberries

Oh, that Mrs Fringe is so immature!

And excited by dumb things.  Like the fact that everything is continuing to grow in my little shop of horrors terrace garden.

The lavender is far from flowering, but if you touch the plants, your fingers smell like lavender.  If you put your face to the container overcrowded with chamomile plants/flowers, it smells like chamomile!

Dumb, but a gen-you-ine small thrill to this old city gal.

Random photos for my Fringelings while I’m cooking the week’s doggie gumbo.

Summertime

Officially, but not exactly.  Happy belated Solstice!  A few more days, and the school year is over.  Today is a lazy day, and you get a lazy post to match.  I’m ready for summer, and so is Flower Child.

Speaking of flowers, remember those seeds we planted?  First blooms!

Nasturtium

Nasturtium

Morning glories taking over--but no buds yet. The vines are now taller than I am.

Morning glories taking over–but no buds yet. The vines are now taller than I am.

Alyssum, with bunny tails behind (no blooms for the bunny tails yet)

Alyssum, with bunny tails behind (no blooms for the bunny tails yet)

Apparently my farming skills are on par with my photography skills; sometimes I’ll hit, mostly I won’t.  Still, I’m dreaming of a garden.  Flowers and veggies and fruit trees, oh my!

We haven’t gone on vacation in a long time, no plans to vacation this summer either, but we are planning on some day trips.  We talk about doing this every year, and then budget, timing, illness, all kinds of not fun things get in the way.  And the beach.  The call of the beach is normally louder than anything else for me.  But this year I believe we will venture out a bit.  Of course there will be beach days, but there’s something new, some part of me that wants to check out greenery outside of the confines of the New York Botanical Gardens.

Sending good thoughts and peace to my cyber friends dealing with these horrible floods in Canada.  Be safe!

 

Happy Mother’s Day–to all the Fringelings
Flowers for all the Mommies

Flowers for all the Mommies

If you hadn’t noticed by now, I’m not generally a fan of the “Hallmark” holidays.  But I have to admit, Mother’s Day can be kind of nice.  Today is extra nice on several levels.  One, after a spectacularly crappy week, it’s a better day.  Friday showed a glimmer of light, yesterday showed promise, and today is a good day.  I hope all of you are feeling the same.

Husband read the note I left on the chalkboard, and gave me a couple of much needed and much appreciated gifts.  Both boys were in touch with me yesterday, to be sure they didn’t forget to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day.

Flower Child had a rough week, and so did I.  There’s the obvious–if she isn’t doing well I’m nervous and holding my breath, my brain hurts with all the coulda-woulda-shouldas and general foot stomping unfairness of life.  But she’s smiling and perky now, working on her art and a vision of love.

And then of course, there’s revision hell, which grew to include query writing hell.  You know that little voice in your head that whispers, who the fuck are you kidding?  You can’t pull off a traditional romance, that’s for woman who are sweetness and light and roses; not women who hope for sleep, a new alarm clock, and money to get their legs waxed.  Not for women who were told their last romance was well written, good characters, but just a little too far off the beaten path.

The way I see it, I enjoy writing.  Even with an eye towards success and publication, it’s important for me to enjoy it.  Not every last aspect, but overall, it should be pleasurable, like Mama-ing.  You should be able to weather the difficult or boring parts and stay strong throughout, knowing there will be release, relief, and an ability to hold onto the good days and moments of pure love, so you don’t actually run away or give up when the next hard part comes along.  At the moment, no one is paying me for writing any more than I’m being paid for the Mom gig, so the motivation and reward has to come from the act of doing, and hope for eventual external validation. As a Mom, that external validation will (hopefully) include a positive, healthy relationship with adult kiddos.  As a writer, the external validation will (hopefully) include a dollar and a contract.

Between internal angst, hammering out query thoughts at the writer’s forum, and pushing through, I’ve come to realize I need to shift the focus of my manuscript, a little.  Basically, still the same story, but ultimately not a romance.  I’ll keep the strong romantic elements, but focus on my heroine and her challenges and obstacles outside of the relationship.  I still want it to be a fun read, this isn’t meant to be a navel gazing allegory on the ills of society (I’ve got my lit fic short stories for that, along with an unfinished manuscript that may or may not ever be completed), but this feels better.

I hope everyone is having a day of peace, or beauty, or whatever it is that lets you feel tomorrow might be okay.

Photos from time in Central Park last weekend with Flower Child.

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And one more, a super bonus surprise sent to me from Nerd Child, delivered yesterday afternoon.

I'm all gooshy inside, wouldn't you be?

I’m all gooshy inside, wouldn’t you be?

Wild Thing, or This, That, and the Other
Lion

Lion (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

Walking down the street to meet Husband…I get in the car, and he’s laughing.  “You look like un animal!” This is how Mrs Fringe knows it’s time for a haircut.  For now, I stuck a clip in my hair.  But I’m going to follow this thought for a bit.

I did take a few days off after finishing the first draft, and just read.  One of the books I read was The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice.  She is one of those authors who provokes strong responses among her readers.  You love her or hate her.  I love her.  I’ve heard for years about her not taking editorial suggestions anymore.  Have I seen it in her books? Maybe, sometimes, but nothing enough to interrupt the suspension of disbelief.  With Rice, I’ve fallen in love with angels, vampires, mummies, witches, castrati, New Orleans, the gens de couleur libres, and became fascinated by thoughts of the early life of Christ.  Yes, her prose tends towards purple, but wow, can she tell a story.  And sexy.  Leaving her erotica books out of it, her writing, her characters, ooze sensuality.  Not my writing style, but as a reader I adore her details and world building.

I have to say, I was disappointed in The Wolf Gift.  The MC didn’t feel believable, even before he turned into a werewolf.  And I couldn’t suspend disbelief for the whole were/woman secksy times.  Even putting smell to the side (very hard for me to do), how in the world were they kissing when he had a snout?  I watch True Blood, love it (no, don’t love the books it’s based on), but when Sookie and Alcide were smooching, he was in human form.  Guess I’m just a prude–who needs a haircut, so Husband isn’t accused of  kissing a mangy lion.

I’ve begun the process of reading my manuscript, cleaning up noticeable, small errors; making more notes for things I want to add or change, and writing an expanded outline based on what’s there. Playing with the idea of adding another character and subplot, I feel like the story is missing…something.

But I’m taking it slow, it’s too soon to rip it apart completely, I need some distance.  I’m worn out, and I suppose this post reflects the way my brain has been unfocused over the past week.  Flower Child has been focused on her art, drawing a lot of trees, so we’ve both been paying attention.  The other day, I took some more bad NY wildlife photos.  Obviously, I have to share them here.

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Bonus Photo Post

As I’ve mentioned, the pom pom crab is my favorite critter in the tank.  He came out for a rare appearance a little while ago, staying visible long enough for me to grab the camera and take a couple of shots.  Not long enough to shut the pumps so I could get clearer shots, though, sorry.

Just a crab and his return pump

Just a crab and his return pump

Normally he stays hidden, coming out once or twice a month to grab food.  It’s rare for him to venture this far from his home, hidden in the live rock.

Pink streaked wrasse, on the hunt

Pink streaked wrasse, on the hunt

 

In danger of being swept over the overflow.

In danger of being swept over the overflow.

 

Miscellaneous Photo Post
Conehead and pest

Conehead and pest

Back of the Museum of Natural History

Back of the Museum of Natural History

always something...

always something…

During the holiday season these guys move over to make room

During the holiday season these guys move over to make room

for these guys

for these guys

 

Gas line being replaced

Gas line being replaced

Pipes are laid pretty far below the surface, I think this guy is standing on one

Pipes are laid pretty far below the surface, I think this guy is standing on one

 

An unbelievable amount of time and work to lay one stretch of pipe. Gas lines, people--NO, they can't work any faster.

An unbelievable amount of time and work to lay one stretch of pipe. Gas lines, people–NO, they can’t work any faster.

DSCN2052 DSCN2053 DSCN2054 DSCN2055

Ok, I’m weird, but all of this–the fruit stands, Christmas tree stands, the literal underground workings of the city, are as much what makes New York as the museums and theaters.

 

 

 

Sandy, Part II, After

Well, the first pic is during, because it made me giggle.

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Flower Child wants all my Fringie followers to know she was very, very scared. But brave.

 

 

These photos show just some of my crappy photos that came out the least crappy.  They also show only a few blocks worth of damage, in a part of the city that was very lucky, not nearly so effected as other neighborhoods.

My thoughts and prayers are with the thousands (millions?) of people who were more than frightened and inconvenienced by Hurricane Sandy, but have suffered devastating losses, and are without power and limited access for an indefinite period of time.